Gang-plow



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. SQUIRE.

GANG PLOW.

No. 415,800. Patented N0v.Z6, 1889.

UHIH I-I I Ill llllllllkm llllllllll l!lllIIII-ilIl|Ill| (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- H. SQUIRE.

GANG PLOW.

No. 415,800. Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

N. PETERS. PhotmLIlhuumphnr. \Vishinglnn. n. c

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

H. SQUIRE. GANG PLOW.

Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

- (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4,

H. SQUIRE. GANG PLOW.

No. 415,800. Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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M pu s UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

HARVEY SQUIRE, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

GANG-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,800, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed February 20, 1889. Serial No. 300,593. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY SQUIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gang-Flows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gang-plows; and my improvements have for their objects, first, to provide for adjusting and spacing the plowshares across the implement, whereby a strip of greater or less width can be covered and operated on and the width of cut made by the implement can be regulated to the number of draft-animals used or to the character of the land, whether heavy or light; second, to obtain equal and simultaneous spacing of the plowshares and parallel position of the plow-bean1s under all conditions, whereby the plow-beams are always in direct line with the draft; third, to regulate the amount of land taken by the plowshares and the depth of cut and to place this adjustment under control of the driver, and, in this connection,to afford facilities for raisin g and lowering the plow-frame at front and at rear from the drivers seat; finally, to produce an improved gang-plow having certain novel features and advantages, as hereinafter set forth. I attain these objects and produce an improved implement of the kind described by the construction and combination of parts and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that form part of this specification, in which- 1" Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my improved gang-plow, having five shares, the drivers seat and the parts of the lifting-gear mount-ed on the seat-frame being left out of the figure to show parts that would otherwise be covered. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, taken from the straight side of the frame. Fig. 3 is a side view on a larger scale of the front and the rear end of the long diagonal beam of the plow-frame, showing the swiveljoint and connection at the front end and the adj llS'ElUg-SOIGW and slide at the rear end that connects the diagonal beam and the side beam together. Fig. 4 shows the front end of one of the plow-beams and the knucklejoint connection between it and the front or axle beam of the frame. Fig. P is a top view of Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the opposite end of the plow-beam and the swiveled box on the diagonal beam that takes the rear end of the plowbeam. Fig. 6 is a View of the left-hand side of Fig. 2 or the front end of that figure on a larger scale, showing the connection of the front end of the side beam with the axle-beam of the frame and parts of the lifting-gear at that side. Fig. 7 is a top View of the adjustable plow-frame with the plow-beams taken out. Fig.8 is a front view of the axle-beam. Fig. 9 is front elevation of the upright frame that supports the drivers seat and the parts of the lifting-gear thereon. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of Fig. 9, taken from the right-hand side of that figure. Fig. 11 is a top view of the same figure. Figs. 12 and 13 are detail views of the locking-lever and ratchet-wheel that hold each drum in the lifting-gear.

The same letters of reference are used to parts in the several the plow, in which are set the plow-beams D D, that carry the plowshares E E on their rear ends.

The axle-beam A is composed of two bars a a and the end blocks a a, fastened together to form an open beam. In the opening between the parallel bars is set a shaft H, having helical flanges or screw-threads H H 850., and mounted in boxes at the ends, in which it is capable of being turned by means of a capstan-barinserted in one of the holes h in the shaft. The axle-beam is supported at the ends by the upright bars F F, on which the wheels G G are mounted, and, being movable up and down on these two bars, the beam can be set at any required height above the ground and also brought into horizontal position to stand level while at Work when one Wheel is running in the furrow and the other on the unplowed land. For this purpose the bars that have the axles g on their lower ends are fixed in grooves in the end blocks of the axle-beam, and the chains of the lifting-gear are arranged to raise one end of the axle-beam independently of the other end.

The plow-beams are attached at their'front diagonal beam of the frame in such manner that they are capable of sliding longitudinally as well as of swinging laterally at the point of attachment. The rear end of each plowbeam is a narrow metal plate D let into the end of the wooden part and fixed by bolts (1 d, and the slotted box L, through which the plate sets, is formed with trunnions on top and bottom, that are held in sockets in the top and bottom members of the diagonal beam and turn freely on these points as a center.

The loops are movable on the axle-beam and can be shifted laterally in either direction to bring the plow-beams closer together or to spread them farther apart at the front ends. This adjustment is effected by the shaft H, the screw-threaded portions H H &c., of which are arranged to engage teeth or projections it on the loops, so that by turning the shaft the loops will be moved along the axle-beam. A screw portion is placed at each loop and the projection is to take into the spiral is fixed on the inner side of the loop and between the rear bar of the axle-beam and the shaft, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.. The spirals are made of different degrees of pitch, one increasing over the other, in order to properly space the plow-beams and preserve uniform intervals between the plows under all conditions of adjustment, whether drawn closer together or spread farther apart, and thus by means of the single shaft H and the screws of diiferent degrees of pitch the loops on the axle-beam can be set wide apart or drawn together atone operation. In addition to this movement at the front the rear ends of the plow-beams are shifted laterally in the same direction, and by this adjustment all the plow-beams can be spaced and kept parallel with the line of draft whether the frame be contracted or expanded. This adjustment at the rear is obtained by jointing the angles of the plow-frame and making the side beam extensible in length, so that the angle at which the diagonal beam set-s can be changed.

The diagonal beam is attached to the axlebeam by a swivel-joint B, and at the rear end to the beam 0 of the frame by the pivot-bolt b while the third angle of the frame formed by the meeting ends of the axle-beam and the side beam is the swivel-joint 0 that connects these two beams together. The side beam has a sliding section O composed of a narrow plate that sets into the front end of the wooden part of the beam and is capable of sliding in and out to lengthen or shorten the beam, and the end of this plate terminates in a hook, which with the eye 0 forms aloose joint corresponding to the joint B at the opposite side of the frame. The three sides of the frame are thus loosely jointed together, and, as the straight side 0 is extensible, it will be evident that by swinging the diagonal beam from the back of the frame on the joint B as a center the angle can be increased or diminished, and according to the amount of this movement and its direction the lateral distance between one plowbeam D and the next will be increased or diminished atthe rear end. The plow-beams are extensible in length, also, to

'ends of the plow-beams consists'of the handscrew J, fixed on the outer end of the plate D of the first or longest beam D, and the swiveled nut M, fixed onthe back of the diagonal beam. A hand-crank or a wheel for turning it is provided on the head of the screw, and a collar mfl screwed to the side of the plate, holds the screw in position to take the nut. By turning the screw in one direction the nut will be run up toward the head and the diagonal beam will be drawn over in the direction of the arrow a, Fig. 7, while a contrary movement of the screw will act to draw the diagonal beam back into a greater angle with the front beam, and thus spread the plows. In proportion as the angle of the diagonal beam is diminished, therefore, the distance between one plow and the next will be reduced in a lateral direction. The dotted lines in Fig.7 illustrate the position of the diagonal beam and the plow-beams when the angle at therear end of the frame is reduced and the long beam is brought over toward a straight line. 4

The swivel-joint K, connecting each plowbeam at its front end with the loop I, is constructed, as shown in the detail View, Fig. 4, to aiford both free horizontal and vertical swing for the beam, the swiveled coupling K being fixed to the end of the plate D by the bolt 61 on which it turns from side to side, and to a block 6 by an eyebolt d, on which it swings in a vertical direction. The head of the eyebolt plays between two lugs e on the back of the block, and this last-mentioned part sets in a T-slot I at the back of the loop outside'the axle-beam and is movable up and down in it. At the back of these blocks and passing through the slots is a flat bar N, which extends the whole length of the axle-beam and is carried at the ends in sockets cast on the collars QQ. By raising this bar at both ends the points of the plows are set in line to work at any desired depth; and to do this from the drivers seat the arrangement of winding-drums and chains R and R illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 6, 9,'and is employed. The chain R from the drum S passes down to a sheave s on the beam below, and thence to a sheave 3 near the left-hand end, around which it runs up to a double sheave s and ITO 9 accommodate themselves to this change in position, for which purpose the front end of thence down to a sheave (Win a loop where it returns upward to the sheave s and finally downto the loop again, where the end of the chain is fastened to the eye G on top of the loop. This part 0 takes the bar N, and, as there is another loop near the opposite end of the bar with which the other chain R from the drum S is connected in the same manner, it will be seen that the bar N will be raised when the two chains are wound up on the drums. In this adjustment the stop-pins P in the parts A are shifted from one hole to another, above or below, according to the position required of the plow-points. These same chains and drums are also used to raise and regulate the height of either end of the axle-beam, as the beam will be drawn up on the axle-bar F when the drum that acts on that chain is turned a sufficient number of revolutions. The third drum S and chain R regulate and adjust the rear end of the plow-frame, and these three drums are mounted on the stand or frame A, on which is the drivers seat. The shafts of the drums set in boxes a on the top of the stand, and are furnished with hand-wheels S S one at each side, convenient to the hand of the driver. A locking device, consisting of a ratchet-wheel S on the-drum and a lever Z, carrying apawl to engage the wheel, holds each drum from turning. The chain R is carried along the frame-back to the caster-wheel T, that supports the rear end of the plow-frame, the wheel beingfixed to the lower end of a vertically-adj ustable standard T, that is movable in a socket i on the beam 0 both vertically and in a circle to set the wheel at any angle with respect to the line of draft in the usual manner. The chain R runs from the front sheave at back to two sheaves t t on the diagonal beam, and thence alternately under and over two sets of sheavesv'u '0 the former on beam G and the latter on standard T.

Referring to Fig. 2, the chain is carried from sheave i around sheave o, thence upward and around sheave w, that is directly behind sheave w on the top of the standard. From this point the chain is brought down to the sheave r and thence uptosheave n1 around which it finally passes downward to the beam C, where it is fastened to the hook on. This arrangement of sheaves is employed to adapt the power to the weight of the frame, and therefore it can be modified or changed as conditions of size or weight of frame may re-, quire. \Vhere adjustment may as well be done at the rear of the frame instead of from the drivers seat, this mechanism may be dis pensed with, and the frame can be raised and lowered on the castei wheel by any suitable means.

The stand A is secured directly upon the middle loop I, as shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings.

The construction and operation of the joints B and G at the front angles of the frame will be understood from the detail views, Figs. 3 and 6. The construction. is the same in both joints, except that the part on the end of the diagonal beam in the joint B, having the hook to take the eye on the upright rod b is a clevis-iron having the hook on the outer end and fastened on the end of the beam by a bolt 1), that passes through eyes in the clevis and is fixed in the top and bottom members of the beam. This form of joint allows the near Wheel to cramp and the implement to turn sharply at the end of the furrow, or where a corner is to be turned. The eye B is loose on the rod 12 but is held at any point between the ends of the bracket A on the axle-beam by the stop-pins P, that are set into the spaced holes along the side of the bracket. The pin Q on the collar of this part B sets against the side of the bracket and rests against the stop-pin. By shifting the stop it will be seen that the eye can be set higher or lower. On this same part is the socket for the end of the bar N. In the other joint C the eye plays up and down on the slotted bar f, which is attached loosely to the rod in the bracket A by links b, that allow it to swing laterally, and the collar is separate from the eye of the joint.

The levers that control the winding-drums on the seat-frame are arranged as shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, the outer ones for the drums S S being connected to foot-levers V \V by the rods Z Z and being held against the ratchet-wheels S S by the long springs XV. The foot-levers are pivoted at Y to the frame, and by pressing down either one with the foot its lever Z or Z will be raised from the ratchet-wheel, and the drum of that wheel can be turned back to let off the chain. The third lever Z controls the middle drum and is set under the seat att-he front to be reached and moved by hand; but in addition to its office as a locking-lever this lever. is used to throw the drum sidewise on the shaft and to fix or loosen the clutch V V, that couples the middle drum to the drum S. For such pur pose the lever is made to move laterally, as well as to rock on its pivot Y, and being suitably connected it serves to shift the drum and lock it into the outside drum, that is turned by the hand-wheel S so that both drums can be turned to wind up the chains together by means of the single wheel S The chain R is wound up by turning back drum S and slackening chain R before looking the drum S todrum S.

The levers Z Z Z are provided with brakeshoes U, that can be brought to bear on the rim of the ratchet-wheel of each lever, when the chains are let off, by simply pressing down the lever until the required amount of resist ance is obtained. This is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13.

The draft-pole X is attached to the middle loop, and the guy-chains and rods from this part and the whiffletrees are attached to the bar X, that sets through slots 19* at the front ends of the loops.

I the kind not possessing these features.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'1. A gang plow having extensible plowbeams, in combination with a diagonal beam capable of lateral adjustment, as described, to

which the plow-beams are attached at the rear ends by swiveled connections, and sliding loops or connections that couple the front ends of the plow-beams to the front beam of the frame, also capable of lateral adjustment, as set forth.

2. A gang-plow frame composed of hinged or pivoted sections or beams A B O, of which the beam B is adapted to swinglaterally from the front pivot as a center and the beam 0 is extensible in length, in combination with eX- t-ensible plow-beams that are attached to the beam B by swiveled connections and to the front beam A by couplings having lateral adjustment upon said beam, substantially as described, to operate as set forth.

3. In a gang-plow, the combination,with extensible plow-beams, of the diagonal beam B and the extensible beam 0, pivot-ed together at the rear end and coupled to the axle-beam of the plow at the front by swiveled couplings, and the swiveled boxes L and laterallyadjustable loops I, substantially as described.

at. In combination with the hinges or pivoted frame A B O, the extensible beam D, screw J, and swiveled nut M, as a means for moving and setting the beam B, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the beam A and laterally-movable loops I, the shaft H, having screw portions H H &c., and means for turning said shaft, substantially as described, to operate as set forth.

6. In a gang-plow, the hinged or pivoted frame A B C, the extensible plow-frame D D, the swiveled boxes L L, sliding loops 1- I, and the shaft l-I, havingscrew-thread portions H H &c., of varying degrees of pitch one over the other, substantially as described.

7 In combination with the laterally-adjustable loops I I on the axle-beam of the frame, the vertically-movable blocks e, having knuckle-joints on the ends to which the beams D are connected, and the adjustable bar N, for the purpose set forth.

8. In combination with the axle-beam A, having the vertically-adj ustable bars F F, on

which are mounted the Wheel-axles g g, the

chains R R and Winding-drums S S and means for turning and locking said drums independently of each other, substantially as described, to operate as set forth.

9. In combination with the caster-wheel T, carrying the rear end of the plow-frame, the chain R the drum S, and means for turning and locking the drum, located on the front of the plow-frame, and the sheaves on the wheel-standard T and on the frame 0, arranged for operation as set forth.

10. In combination with the plow-frame, the chains R and R arranged to raise and lower the front and rear ends of the frame on the ofi side of the implement, as described, and the drums S and S, clutches V V, and clutch-lever, substantially as described, for operation as set forth.

11. In a gang-plow, a diagonal beam joined to the remaining beams of the plow-frame by hinge or pivot joints, and having near its front end in its length a hinge-joint bflwhich is located behind the joint or coupling that connects the front end of said beam with the front beam of the frame, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

HARVEY SQUIRE.

Witnesses:

H. S. FARRINGTON, W. E. TRETHEWAY. 

